Arguably, no nation in the world has had a bigger impact on the sound and worldwide development of pop music than the UK.

From the immortal legacy of acts like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones through pioneering groups such as The Police and The Clash to modern-day icons like Adele and Ed Sheeran, the UK has continuously paved the way and reinvented the sound, feel and approach of pop without ever steering too far off from its roots and core. In fact, for five decades the UK pop scene hasn’t peaked, it’s been on a constant high.

Recorded at RAK Studios by drummer Ash Soan (Adele, James Morrison, Ronan Keating)

Produced by Mark Taylor (Rod Stewart, Cher, Daniel Bedingfield)

Four full kits and extra snare/cymbal selections

Sticks, mallets, regular and towel-damped samples available for select kits

Claps and stomps

Seven mix-ready presets, each with a distinct sound

A selection of MIDI grooves for each preset, performed by Ash Soan

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In addition to the four drum kits, extra snares and cymbals that were handpicked for the session, the UK Pop EZX also comes with seven carefully engineered presets, ensuring that the widest possible palette of sound is covered. From the tight and deep all-round tone of the main ‘UK Pop’ preset to the intimate and dampened Beatles-esque ‘Tea Towels,’ the rowdy ‘Carnaby Street’ that hints of T. Rex, or the tight and snappy breakbeat-inspired ‘Bristol Eyes,’ the UK Pop EZX covers a broad facet of the British pop wonder.

These are drum tones inspired by nearly six decades of pop mastery, recorded in a landmark London studio by two of UK’s most sought after professionals. Past, present and now – all rolled up for use in your future productions. Away to the UK!

"This is a very versatile collection that handles anything from suitably UK-centric pop to ’60s vintage with a quite different character from the other EZX expansion packs." - Sound On Sound

ASH SOAN, DRUMMER FOR THE UK POP EZX

What is “UK pop” to you, sound-wise?For me personally it’s a warm, almost vintage sound, with deeper snare tones. I think we have captured these sounds and I know they will be very useful for songwriters. The tones we sampled are exactly the sounds I get asked to find on sessions.

One of your traits is the low-tuned snare and your rather unique hi-hat sound. How did you attack this for the UK Pop EZX?We sampled some of my go to snare drums that I have used on sessions. James Morrison and Adele for instance. Regarding hi-hats I have one main set of vintage A Zildjian’s which again I’ve used on many, many sessions. We also sampled my lovely Vintage K hi-hats too.

What do you hope the end users take away from these sounds?I hope the sounds we’ve come up with will inspire people to write some great feeling songs. I know the snare drums will work really well with vocals and the overall sound of the kits can add quality to the production.

MARK TAYLOR, PRODUCER FOR THE UK POP EZX

With this project, you really created a broad palette of sounds. What were your thoughts going in and did anything change along the way?We really tried to give a large scope of sounds whilst maintaining the usability in real-world pop situations. The aim was to make something that could be used by composers and producers that would give an instant inspiring sound that could help them make some great music and ultimately a great record.

In a mix, where do you usually start – the drums, guitars, vocals or something else?All of the above! I need to hear the vocal in the mix as soon as possible and I then drop it in and out as the mix develop. But getting the drums, bass and vocals working together is generally the first stage for me.

Is there any instrument you generally struggle with more than any other in a mix?Every track is different and that’s the challenge! I guess the bottom end is something everyone can find a bit tricky, getting the kick and bass working well together is a common issue.

Please click on the link below to view the download and install guide for this product.

Customer Reviews

Press Quotes

"UK Pop EZX stands alone among its stablemates, embodying the earthy, organic, full-frequency sound of contemporary British pop drumming, and marking a welcome departure for Toontrack from the usual US-focused idioms." - Ronan MacdonaldClick here to read review in full

"Overall, the kits lean toward a vintage sound, with low-tuned snares and vintage cymbals, but somehow they maintain a modern vigour. For drums with such great character they are surprisingly neutral in the mix, and they find their place naturally without a fuss." - AskAudioClick here to read review in full

"This is a very versatile collection that handles anything from suitably UK-centric pop to '60s vintage with a quite different character from the other EZX expansion packs." - Sound On Sound (Click here to read the review in full)

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